For the entire day, I did not see Ashton. I then called Emery as my stressful emotion refused to subside. “It’s hard to believe that before I could become a lawyer, I had become a defendant. Such an irony.”
The second Emery heard that Summer might be taken away, she assured confidently, “That lawyer has nothing but a foul mouth. Anyone can stoop low and play dirty. Fret not. I promise no one would lay hands on Summer as long as I am here.”
After hanging up, I stared emotionlessly at the phone with a blank mind. On my way to Summer’s room, I suddenly had this strong feeling that I could lose her forever. At that moment, I felt as though a thousand needles were stabbing through my heart.
It was already 9 p.m., so I supposed Summer should be asleep. I opened her door as quietly as I could, only to hear her sweet and carefree voice echoing in the room.
“And also candies, please. Ms. Collins, please bring me these if you come over. Mommy never lets me have them!”
Ms. Collins? Which Ms. Collins is she talking to? Out of curiosity, I tiptoed my way towards Summer’s desk and saw her video-calling someone.
“Okay, I promise. Remember, this is a secret between us. Don’t tell anyone.”
My back stiffened the moment I recognized Stella’s voice coming from the computer. Since when is she so close with Summer that they are still chatting at this hour?
Feeling utterly displeased, I asked suddenly, “Summer, are you asleep?”
Startled by my voice, Summer clumsily shut her computer and jumped swiftly into her bed, pretending to be sleeping.
I was amused by her cuteness, but I tried to put on a stern face. “Are you really sleeping? Why aren’t you under your blanket?”
I could notice her tensed body and her nervous breath, yet her eyes were still tightly closed.
It was difficult for me not to laugh at this scene. But instead, I gave a long sigh on purpose. “Alright, if you really don’t like me, then I won’t come and visit you anymore in the future.”
“Mommy! Wait!” Summer jumped out from her bed and grabbed my hands tightly. “I love you, Mommy! Please don’t send me to Xavier’s house. I want to be with you. I promise I will be a good girl!”
Upon that, I could see tears started to well up in her eyes. How could I bear to hold a grudge against such a sweet kid? I patiently tucked her in her bed while trying to communicate in a mature tone. “Summer, since when did you exchange contact with Ms. Collins?”
Summer had her own WhatsApp account, but her contact lists were none other than some close elders. Besides, she seldom used it except during special occasions, for which I would usually be the one to set up the video call for her. I had never expected she would use it on her own and even added Stella.
Following that, Summer covered her face with her blanket, unwilling to answer my question. Judging from her stubborn behavior, I knew she liked Stella very much. Apparently, kids would do anything to protect the things they treasured.
I bit my lips and reached my hand towards Summer. Gently patting her back, I tried to comfort her. “Summer, of course, I will want you to have more friends. But I am your closest friend, so we should not keep secrets from each other. I promise that I won’t be mad at you. Okay?”
Soon after that, Summer started revealing everything to me.
Back when I was confined by Ashton, he had brought Summer to Fuller Corporation. During that time, the company was under mass development, so everyone was fully occupied. Whereas Stella, who was at the counter, was the only one available to babysit Summer. Stella was an expert around kids, so they became good friends in just one morning. At that time, she even created another private chat account for Summer. That was why I did not see her contact in Summer’s original account.
